Do you want your loved ones to look good this Christmas?

by Rosemarie A. Reyes, Editor-in-Chief

If you’re like me, finding the perfect gift to match with each person on your list is part of the joy that comes with Christmas. When you nail the item to give, it Is easy to anticipate how your loved one will open your beautifully wrapped and thoughtfully prepared gift with squeals of happiness…well, that beats getting stuck in traffic after wading through crowds of people in malls and bazaars.

Oh what joy.

But what to do when the name on your list has it all? Or has some very specific preferences? Then that takes Christmas shopping to another level.

But no worries, I have got just the solution gained from my extensive years of shopping. Give the gift of BEAUTY. And your girl friends (and a few metrosexual males, I presume) will be teary-eyed once they open your gift. This beauty gift has also made me the favorite of elderly women who long to maintain their looks and youth. I get a lot of home cooked specialties and handcrafted personal items from them after they receive my gifts.

Oh joy!

Giving beauty means you want your loved one to be at her very best, in the peak of youth and loveliness. It also makes for quite the unique gift, so refreshingly distinct from the usual gift ideas: food (nobody wants to gain pounds), gadgets (a bit cold and impersonal), clothing (what if the size is wrong?), shoes (may not fit quite right), makeup (highly personal, you may not get the color perfectly) and so on. Of course, you want to add the element of surprise so asking directly for sizes and other specifics take away from the magic that is giving and receiving gifts.

Finding where to get the gift of beauty is easy. Personally, I like to drop by my trusted salon, Justine Barbara Salon, so I can peruse their hair care products (you know what they say about crowning glory), choose a few, especially those that come in handy box sets and wrap them with a big red bow.

Justine Barbara Salon has a whole array of gift box sets from French-based luxury hair care brand, Kerastasé. You may choose from Kerastasé collections: Discipline (gives curls definition and makes dry, frizzy, unruly hair soft and smooth to the touch), Reflection (maintains and preserves hair color and intensity while creating shiny, healthy hair) and Resistance (repairs and fortifies very damaged and over processed hair). Gift Certificates are also available at Justine Barbara Salon if you want your friend to choose her preferred Christmas gift (hair coloring or treatments are thoughtful presents too!).